Magic+-+Studio+Sessions

include component="page" page="content_legendott" editable="1" wrap="1" code Commercially Released: September 28, 2007 Produced by: Brendan O’Brien Recording Engineer: Nick Didia Recorded March-May 2007 at Southern Tracks Studios, Atlanta, GA code

Part One - Magic Session Overview

Springsteen completed the Seeger Sessions Tour in November 2006. In December 2006 producer Brendan O’Brien visited Springsteen at Bruce’s Colts Neck, NJ home to listen to a large batch of songs Bruce had written over what is likely to been several years. From this meeting a sub-group of songs were pre-selected as being most suitable for an E Street Band style of album.

Studio sessions began in Atlanta in February 2007, initially with just Springsteen and O’Brien. Some (not all) of the E Street Band members started to become involved in late February. A five-day “rehearsal and basic tracks” recording session took place at Southern Tracks from March 7-11 that included E Street Band members Tallent, Weinberg and Bittan. This sub-group of the E Street Band continued scattered recording session during March. ESB members Van Zandt, Lofgren, Federici, Clemons, Scialfa (plus Soozie Tyrell) appear to have travelled to Atlanta to add specific overdubs during the latter (late March to early May) stages of the sessions. With the individual ESB members’ roles completed by early May, Springsteen and O’Brien then spent May and part of June working on the final touches of the album.

Two weeks after the album was announced "Terry's Song" was added to the album, a hidden track.

Part Two - Magic Sessions Details

Notes: Notes: Notes: Soozie Tyrell contributes violin. Mentioned by Bruce as the first song he wrote for the album. Notes: Patrick Warren adds Chamberlin and/or tack piano. Features a string section consisting of Kenn Wagner, Jay Christy, Justin Bruns, William Pu, Cristopher Pulgram, John Meisner, Olga Shpitko, Sheela Lyengar (violins), Tania Maxwell Clements, Amy Chang, Lachlan McBane (viola) and Karen Freer, Daniel Laufer, Charae Kruege (cello). Notes: Notes: Brendan O'Brien persuaded Bruce to include it on the album. Springsteen said that "He (O'Brien) really heard its potential and turned it into a pop diamond". Patrick Warren adds Chamberlin and/or tack piano. Features a string section consisting of Kenn Wagner, Jay Christy, Justin Bruns, William Pu, Cristopher Pulgram, John Meisner, Olga Shpitko, Sheela Lyengar (violins), Tania Maxwell Clements, Amy Chang, Lachlan McBane (viola) and Karen Freer, Daniel Laufer, Charae Kruege (cello). The 'Winter Mix' features a single-tracked lead vocal, and a few other minor differences. The audio mix is slightly different as well. It was released on January 15, 2008 as part of an iTunes digital EP along with the music video and album version. Notes: Soozie Tyrell contributes violin. Notes: Soozie Tyrell contributes violin, Jeremy Chatzky plays upright bass, and Patrick Warren adds Chamberlin and/or tack piano. Notes: Soozie Tyrell contributes violin Notes: Patrick Warren adds Chamberlin and tack piano. Premiered live as "Gonna Be A Long Walk Home" at Wembley Arena in November 2006 during the Seeger Sessions tour. Notes: features Daniel Laufer on cello and Patrick Warren adds Chamberlin and/or tack piano. Notes: Hidden track on the album. Performed by Springsteen alone, a tribute to Bruce's long-time assistant Terry Magovern. Notes: The background of this song is somewhat confusing. First identified in 2002 during an interview with Ted Koppel when Springsteen read out the lyrics to the first verse from his lyric book. Bruce has since commented that only the lyrics were written during sessions for //The Rising// (although he has also stated that the band attempted to record the song at sessions //prior// to //The Rising//, perhaps in the late 90s), and the music dates from the mid-2000s, probably from the //Magic// sessions in 2007. Bruce has said that it almost made //Magic//, but was left off because he wanted twelve songs on the album rather than thirteen. Screen captures of the lyric book show that only the first verse dates from 2002, the rest appears to have been re-written in the intervening years.

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